State
of the Rivendell Bicycle Works Owner's Bunch Mailing List============================
December 2009 - #9
============================

There
has not been an SOTL (State of the List) Report since February,
and as we head into true winter, it seems that this is perhaps
way overdue. In the past ten months, we've added around 327 new
members to this group, most of whom probably have not seen one
of these updates..

Which is not in and of itself a bad thing. Honestly, I've been
waiting it out a bit by design, to see what happened to the tone
of the conversation without more regular reminders. I was a bit
worried as we crested the 1,000 member mark, as that can be a
time when everyone becomes a little bit more faceless, which is
in turn when it becomes a bit easier to crack off a more sharply
toned comment than might be necessary.

This group has been considerably narrower and more specific in
nature than others in the bicycle arena. We come here to talk
about Rivendell bicycles and the equipment they design and sell.
It's natural to put those things in the context of "what else
is available" from other manufacturers, we do run the risk of
just talking about bikes, in the general sense.

As I've said before, and at the great risk of describing this
group by what we are not, the more general we become, the less
necessary we are.

That
being said, it's been extremely gratifying to watch the growth
of the regional groups from within this list, where folks have
coalesced into gangs of people riding bicycles and having fun
together - spreading the word of what it is that's important.

And
what is important? I'm sure it's a bit different from me to you,
but it's based on what we've practiced on this group discussion
- respect, interest in adaptable and robust bicycles, solving
technical issues, sharing knowledge and gaining riding skill.
The fact this gets to be played out against a background of beckoning
roads and trails just adds to the experience.

Camaraderie.
The ability to find something that brings us together in agreement.

I'd
like to thank everyone for keeping the discussions largely on
track, and for continuing to demonstrate respect for others ideas,
even if they are different.

I
said last time that it's gratifying to see everyone continuing
to be polite and respectful on this list. We're heading into the
period when most members are unable to ride, and cabin fever becomes
a real issue.

In
that respect, it is important as we grow to honor the relatively
narrow focus of this group, even though it's tempting to have
more general topics discussed here. Clearly, it's a bit of an
imperfect border, but one which we've largely maintained.

As
I've said before, letting discussions end as they creep toward
more general topics, not having to have the last comment (or needing
to "win" the argument) and, above all, maintaining the respect
for one another within the group is what makes this list special.

As always, thanks again for contributing to or simply enjoying
the discussions.

============================
Projects and Features
============================

It's
been quite a year for Rivendell output, between the Hillborne,
Betty Foy and Yves Gomez, the Roadeo and a plethora of bags, racks
and even rain gear. And a brand new catalog of frames as we close
out the year. (and maybe even a pending Reader...)

The
Rivendell pages of the cyclofiend.com site haven't grown exponentially
this year, but I've gotten things a bit back on track recently.
I was hoping to get things going on the earlier models page, but
the updates were a bit sparodic this year. I've been chipping
away at things behind the scenes on that stuff, so hopefully I
can indulge in a bit of an unveiling after the first of the year.

If
you don't know what I'm talking about, the Cyclofiend.com RBW
pages are here:

I'm
certainly not pushing Facebook* at all, and honestly haven't checked
in on the page for a while (113 members), and in no way do I see
it as a replacement for this group. As I mentioned, I finally
signed up a year ago for unrelated-to-bicycle reasons, and had
bumped into quite a few folks there. It seemed like it might be
a useful platform for coordinating rides in specific areas or
for more quick-pinging type of communications.

*In
fact, I've more or less stayed away. You can and should search
about previous Facebook issues with private user information,
internal viruses, etc. before deciding if you want to mess with
it. Some of that's life in the online world, but it's worth being
aware of.

Cyclotourist
has been using Flickr in a similar manner for the SoCal RBW Riders,
which (IMO) has a good deal of the same functionality with the
added benefit of much, much better photo sharing/interface.

-
Broader technical questions and non-Riv stuff are well covered
by the iBob list, the 650B list and others hosted by alex wetmore
on bikelist.org - http://www.bikelist.org
- This is also where you can find the pre-March '07 archives to
the RBW list. Peter White runs the "Bicycle Lifestyle" google
group, which is here - http://groups.google.com/group/bicyclelifestyle

-
Posts from new members (or old members changing their email) are
moderated. So, it means that if someone joins, their first messages
will have to get my (or an acting list admin's) OK before being
sent to everyone. If you want to bypass this or speed it up a
bit, send me an email so I know you aren't a spammer. If your
first posts are "For Sale" items, then you will not be switched
over to unmoderated until you join in the discussion at large.

-
Posts to the list are by default distributed to everyone. That
means if you wish to make a private comment, you need to change
the "TO:" information. It's also easy to make that mistake, so
please don't jump on folks who do so.

- Bug reports for the Rivendell website should be sent to rbw-feedback@610systems.comYou
should include the browser, system and specific issue in the email.

If
you wish to turn off or restart email delivery, change to digest
mode, update your profile or make other changes, simply log in
at the page above and make the changes you desire.

Unsubscribing
is as easy as an email. But, don't send it to the group or to
me - All posts (including this SOTL message) contain a footer
with the appropriate address.

The
Rivendell Owners Bunch list is "dedicated to the discussion of
Rivendell Bicycles and products, you don't need to own one - just
an interest in RBW designs is enough to join in. Ride reports
encouraged, as is a respectful, supportive and polite tone in
all posts. This group is not endorsed by Rivendell Bicycle Works."

As
stated, this list is a discussion of things Rivendellian in nature
and is not associated with Rivendell Bicycle Works or its employees
and staff. If you have specific questions for Rivendell Bicycle
Works regarding customer service or other issues, you should contact
them directly.

============================
Ending Note
============================

I'd be more than happy to continue the discussion on any of the
topics mentioned above, but in the interest of clarity, it might
make sense to either email me directly or to create a new topic
thread specific to your comment.

Please
note - this is absolutely not meant to be a comprehensive representaton
of Rivendell Bicycle Works, their products or their policies.
This information is purely for enjoyment and education only -
I cannot be responsible for any errors in pricing or availability,
suitability or accuracy for any product specifications.